Stitching Snow

 

 Stitching Snow
by R.C. Lewis

This was a book that could use some refining.

The idea behind it was good, and I really would have loved to have seen more of the political story, more about stitching (it was so glossed over... and if you're going to write in this thread ((retelling fairytales where the main princess is technologically savvy), where you have a lovely book like Cinder by Marissa Meyer, then your leading lady better at least sound like she knows something), the story of her mother, kip, Dane, etc, really delved into... but that just didn't happen.

I'm all about YA novels that can wrap it up all in one book...

and I almost hate to say it,

but this book really deserved the time and pacing of a trilogy.

The writing style was engaging, and I'm sure if they'd had time to be more developed, the characters would have been as well... but they weren't, and the last third of the book was like being in a car crash. It just hit you, and then it was over, leaving you to wonder what the heck just happened.

Sadly, that wasn't what bothered me the most about this book.

The thing that really bothered me, the thing still bothering me, and the reason I won't pass this book on to anyone, was the relationship between Snow and her Father.

Essentially, her Father was a Pedophile, and evidently, before she ran away, he would force himself upon Snow regularly while everyone turned a blind eye (mind you, she was pretty small when she ran away)... and yet, this whole subject was treated callously. It wasn't even really mentioned until Snow got back to her home planet.

Now... if it were me in her situation, and someone was trying to take me back to that, it would be at the FRONT of my mind, and even if I didn't want to tell anyone about it, I'd still be thinking about it all the time, and fighting to NOT go back to that situation. OR, if I were the type of character who was going back for revenge, I'd still be thinking about it all the time, and I'd not only be angry with my father, but with EVERYONE who just let it happen... but Snow rarely mentioned it, or thought about it at all, until it was convenient.

 It felt like that was only in there to give them an excuse to murder her Father, which also bothers me... considering they never found out if he knew *anything* about what was really going on in his kingdom. It was such a jarring, weird, poorly executed plot device. 

I didn't give this book one squid, because I feel it does have redeeming qualities... it could have been a really fun book to read... and the first half of it with the slower pacing and more story development was a cute read... but so many things about the last half of this book bother me.

Overall: I wouldn't recommend this book.

Warm Bodies

Warm Bodies
by Isaac Marion

Synopsis:
(from Amazon):
 
R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, noidentity, and no pulse, but he has dreams.After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and stragely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.
Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead, and the blurry line in between.

Characters:
R: The main character, and a zombie. While his spoken words are a bit... lacking, his thoughts are eloquent, and it's a beautiful juxtapose of what one wants to say and what one does say. Is this really the story of a zombie, or just any teenage boy? Well, except the brain eating bit... LOL!
M: R's kind of pervy zombie friend, and another of the zombies with a hint of memory of what life was like.
Perry: Julie's boyfriend, and the catalyst for this entire story.

Julie: The heroine of this story, and a living girl... she is strong and defiant... but for me, a little unbelievable.
Nora: Julie's best friend. She is a side character who is filled with character.

Julie's Father: He's not in it much, but when he is, he makes an impression.

Bonies: The "other" zombies... a strange, skinless religious faction of zombies that are absolutely terrifying.

 
Writing:

It pulls you in. The prose are beautiful and the pace is fast... I have to admit, I actually *didn't* want to read this book, but my neighbor gave it to me, and I felt obliged, since it was the first book he ever loaned me... but I am really glad I read it. This was an excellent zombie story. Once I started, I couldn't put it down.

Ending:
An ending that seemed to leave this book open to the possibility of more in the future.

Plot:

Ok, I have to admit... I REALLY love some aspects of the plot... and don't care much for other aspects of it. First... everything from R's perspective, I LOVE. It all makes sense in a zombie sort of way and I think it's a pretty awesome idea. I really, really, really love that bit... but... I have a really hard time believing Julie's half of it. Now, I'm being vague so as to do this without spoilers... but we all know this is a romance of sorts. I find the aspect of her befriending R to be absolutely plausible... I find the idea of her encouraging a romance to be just nuts. This book really takes a lot of liberty with overlooking what a dead body that hasn't been preserved is actually like... and "kissable" is not one of those things, unless, you know, you're into that -_-
I also have to say, I love the way the Bonies were explained... it was really, really terrifying, and frankly, they scare me.

 

Believability of World:
This is set in our world, post-zombie-apocalypse, so it's a pretty believable setting, and I love that zombies congregate the way they do.


Overall Grade: B+ I've read a lot of zombie stories, and frankly, a lot of them are awful... but this one is actually pretty darn excellent! Check it out!

Shadow of the Serpent: Kane Chronicles

The Serpent's Shadow

by Rick Riordan

Synopsis:
(from Amazon):

He's b-a-a-ack! Despite their best efforts, Carter and Sadie Kane can't seem to keep Apophis, the chaos snake, down. Now Apophis is threatening to plunge the world into eternal darkness, and the Kanes are faced with the impossible task of having to destroy him once and for all. Unfortunately, the magicians of the House of Life are on the brink of civil war, the gods are divided, and the young initiates of Brooklyn House stand almost alone against the forces of chaos. The Kanes' only hope is an ancient spell that might turn the serpent's own shadow into a weapon, but the magic has been lost for a millennia. To find the answer they need, the Kanes must rely on the murderous ghost of a powerful magician who might be able to lead them to the serpent's shadow . . . or might lead them to their deaths in the depths of the underworld.

Nothing less than the mortal world is at stake when the Kane family fulfills its destiny in this thrilling conclusion to the Kane Chronicles.

Characters:
Sadie: The spunky, attitude-filled little sister has softened some from the beginning of this series... we find her in love and with more obvious affection towards her brother... she has become quite the likable character... not that she wasn't before, but now we see more of her loyalty shining through. She's not just an angry kid anymore.
Carter: Carter has really matured over this series, to the point where even his sister begrudgingly admits that he's quite the leader figure. He's a likable character, although I find him most interesting when he's hemming and hawing over teenage boy issues (aka, girls).
Walt: Sadie's love interest is as mysterious as ever, you know that Walt is a man with a plan through most of the book, and it's not that hard to guess what it might be, but you still wonder at the logistics of it.

Anubis: Sadie's other love interest, the poor girl... how does one choose between hot mortal guy and hot god guy?
Zia: Still coming to terms with the fact that another version of herself met and fell in love with Carter, Zia is also kind of losing her mind in this book. She's given the job of caring for the aged form of Ra, and it's having quite the effect on her.

Amos: Now Chief Lector, Amos is dealing with trying to keep a lot of very  nervous magicians under control, while still fighting off Apophis and his underlings. Due to events in previous books (aka, being possessed by Set), Amos is not the most trusted person around.

Setne: The guy you love to hate... he's bound to help Sadie and Carter, but he's tricksy, and causes them no end of trouble.

Everyone Else: To not at least mention other characters like Jet, Felix, Freak and Bes... would be criminal. These books are filled to the brim with an enjoyable supporting cast.

 
Writing:

As per usual, Rick Riordan is a master. These books go by waaaay too quickly.

Ending:
A wonderful ending in which you see satisfying conclusions to quite a few of the story archs that have been present through the series. Not only that, but there's quite the hint that this is not the last we'll see of the Carter siblings when it comes to Rick Riordan books. It looks like he's building up to something quite epic.

Plot:

This is a plot that's been building up through two other books. It concludes quite a few of the mysteries that were left hanging, and promises more. 

Believability of World:
I believe I've said it before, but I love that these books are set in "our" world, just kind of behind the scenes.


Overall Grade: A